A Bug that dressed like a Tiger

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Once again I feel a bugging itch and I just need to scratch it. Plus, CF-104's build made me want this one too. I'm not too fond of 'special' schemes, but this one is a stunner! Plus I've bought decals from Leading Edge a while ago so it's a perfect opportunity to use them.

Since Leading Edge Decals are designed for the Hasegawa kit, this is what I shall build. Apart from the decals, I'm planning on using Quickboost resin intakes which I did not buy yet. I've been thinking of adding a Aires cockpit, but I'd like this one to have a pilot, wings folded and canopy opened. So it would be a waste of a nice cockpit, but I might use a resin seat. Still, I'm going to add some bits from my spares box to spruce up the cockpit. I've yet to decide on the pilot, as I have a few figures.

Oh, and since I'm using an F/A-18 A kit, it has early style exhaust nozzles, so I took some from a discarded F/A-18 C.

Here are the pieces I'm going to fit in the cockpit, the IP from Fujimi kit, and some parts from Academy Hornet and Hasegawa Super Hornet.

As soon as I finish my J-11 that's been in the works for some time now, I'm going to start on this baby. Plus I'll have to order some resin :)

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Since my A-10 is done (and so is the j-11;) ) I guess I can start work on this Hornet :)

My first order of business is to cut the flaps and detach the horizontal stabs. After some thinking, I've decided simply to drop the flaps instead of folding the wings. I've also blended the single seater plug behind the cockpit.

I rather have to deal with lower and upper fuselage halves, than adding those sidewalls. Also, those Aires intakes require significant thinning of kit parts. I mean paper thin. Right now they are dry fitted to help attach the intake sidewalls.

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I've fitted the cockpit with IP from Fujimi kit, it required some trimming, but it fits pretty good. Still I've had to add some plastic to the sides, where it will meet the upper fuselage sides.

I've added some strenghening pieces of plastic card to help with the fit. Also, I've added strips of 0.25 mm to the upper parts of the splitter plates, this way I won't have to apply putty to the splitter plate/lower LEX joint.

And the fuselage is closed! I've also applied 'some' putty. For a guy who completed 7 of this Hasegawa beasts within the last year, I should have came up with some way of avoiding puttying.

For the major assembly to be complete, I need to sand the radome to match the fuselage, as it's too big, and add the tails. Hopefully I'll have some time to do some modeling this weekend and I'll be able to put it in one piece. Putty, sand, repeat.

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Your Hornet looks great at this stage of the game. Your build definitely looks better than mine did at this place in the build. Now I know that it does get better after one builds 7 or so copies of the Hasegawa kit!

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Some paint was thrown on it on thursday. Oh the complexity of the paintjob ;)

And this is how it looked mere 10 work hours later... Seriously, never before have i spent so much time applying decals to the model. Even that digital Super Hornet took one session to decal. Those Leading Edge decals were pretty good, but I would have preffered if they had clear film on entire decal pieces, not just around tiger stripes. Those outer tail decals and wing decals were pretty ard to apply and it took a lot of time to get them in place. Plus I've had to cut up some decals in order to line them up properly.

There were some fups I tell You ;) I still have one to repair.

Can You see the walkway? I wish You didn't ;) Gotta do something about it, but I don't have the walkway in the proper colour. Perhaps I'll be able to mix some paint to match.

Bob said He won't mind inconsistent walkway, as He probably won't be getting out of this one :) He used to sit in a Tomcat ;)

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Thanks guys for Your kind words :) I highly recommend those LE decals if You can get them. I just wish that someone would release decals for the VMFA-224 tiger striped Hornet. That would be another nice Bug :)